


After All This Time

by justyrae



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Flirting, Frottage, Kissing, M/M, Pining, Time Skips, Wooing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-19
Updated: 2014-09-19
Packaged: 2018-02-17 13:05:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2310629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justyrae/pseuds/justyrae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Niall had expectations about his years at Hogwarts, but none of them prepared him for meeting Zayn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	After All This Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [autopsyofwebs](https://archiveofourown.org/users/autopsyofwebs/gifts).



> as much of a HP nerd as I am, this was ridiculously terrifying to write (and not just for the unconventional sorting part of the prompt). BIG thanks to whoever runs/adds to the HP wiki pages, without them I would've been hopelessly thumbing through my copies of the books a hundred times a day.
> 
> apologies for any confusion caused by the timeline, it's a bit wibbly-wobbly but I swear I tried to make it easy to follow.
> 
> title from 'Still Into You' by Paramore

**September, 7th Year**

Zayn hates the beginning of term. There are all the normal reasons - summer's over, he can't sleep in until noon (or three) every day, he'll quite possibly be drowning in coursework soon - but if he's being honest, it's mainly because he hates Platform 9 ¾.

He hates London in general; too busy, too crowded, he just feels _suffocated_. Zayn's never been a fan of crowds and the hundreds of students bustling about the platform in addition to their parents and siblings - which Zayn still doesn't understand, his mum and dad never lingered on the platform - just made him feel ridiculously anxious.

Just as he starts feeling the familiar tightening in his chest that normally leads to a panic attack, a warm hand slips into his own and squeezes it tightly. Zayn turns his head to the right and smiles when he sees Niall smiling back at him.

"Sorry m'late," he mumbles before pressing his lips to Zayn's. "Y'alright?"

"Never better," Zayn replies. His cheeks tinge pink when his own words resonate in his head and Niall's smile grows larger. Niall brings Zayn's hand up to his mouth and kisses his knuckles before he nods towards the train.

"C'mon, before all the compartments fill up."

 

**September, 1st Year**

Niall had been in crowded places before, but King's Cross on September first definitely takes the cake. He wasn't claustrophobic per se, but he did feel a certain amount of anxiety from being swallowed up by the crowd as he struggled to get on the Hogwarts Express.

He wasn't small for an eleven-year-old, but he wasn't a half-giant either. Older students passed by him with hardly a second glance as he nervously looked for an empty seat.

Niall ended up sitting next to a boy who was about as scrawny as he and easily ten times as nervous. Somehow the knowledge that this kid is far more scared than he is eased his worries and Niall found his cheerful, easygoing stride once more. After nearly ten minutes of chattering away with only mumbled whispers in response, Niall elbowed the kid until he finally told him his name.

"Liam."

"Niall," he replied with a bright smile. "So Li, what d'you fancy yourself?"

"Sorry?" Liam stared at him, confusion filling up his soft brown eyes and Niall couldn't help but start laughing.

"What house? Personally I think I'll be a Hufflepuff. I hear the common room is near the kitchens and that'd just be great." Niall stared up at the ceiling dreamily, already thinking about all the cauldron cakes and pumpkin juice he could sneak between lessons. "What about you?"

"Dunno," Liam answered softly, jumping as a group of rather boisterous boys went by their seats. "S'long as I'm not a Slytherin," he added with a low growl.

"C'mon, they can't be all bad. Just, well, s'pose You Know Who was. And I heard the Malfoy family was all Slytherins and y'know." Niall nudged him again, trying to get Liam to smile. "Bad luck there, innit?"

"Must be a personality defect," Liam mumbled, turning away from Niall to stare out the window. Confused, Niall turned his head to see that a boy wearing Slytherin colors had stopped next to them. He dropped his hands to his sides immediately and Niall could only assume that he'd been making faces at Liam until he'd turned his head.

"What're you looking at?" he demanded haughtily before turning on his heel and stomping off. Niall raised an eyebrow and turned back to Liam, nudging him again until he dragged him back into conversation.

By the time they actually reached Hogwarts, Niall had Liam laughing. Whether it was at Niall or in response to one of the hundred stories he'd told, Niall wasn't sure but he counted it as a win anyway. They stuck close to each other as they followed the masses off the train, gathering with the other mildly terrified first years as they were herded away by the largest man Niall had ever seen.

When Niall shared this sentiment with him - much to Liam's horror - he laughed heartily and clapped Niall on the back as he introduced himself as the groundskeeper, Rubeus Hagrid.

"Niall Horan," he replied with a bright smile. "This lug here's Liam."

"H-Hi," Liam said with a gulp, staring up at Hagrid with an even more terrified look than he'd had on the train. Hagrid laughed again, clutching his large belly at the sight of Liam's fear.

"Yeh've got far more to worry about than me." He beamed at Liam and Niall before calling out to the rest, "c'mon lads, lasses! This way!"

Niall could hardly believe his eyes when he crossed the courtyard and headed inside; he was completely mesmerized by the enormous towers of Hogwarts, stretching into the night sky that sparkled with stars. He clutched Liam's arm so many times that Liam actually had to cover Niall's hands with his own just to save himself from bruises.

"Exciting, innit?" Niall chattered happily as they were led into the Great Hall for the sorting. It was only then that Niall's mood was brought down considerably by a depressing thought: what if he and Liam were sorted into separate houses?

He turned to look at Liam, who apparently had the same thought because he was staring back at Niall with a worried frown. Niall squeezed Liam's hand and gave him what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

"No matter what, you're still me best mate."

"Oh, we're best mates now?" Liam teased lightly, making Niall grin wider.

"Obviously. Can't get rid of me now."

Niall was called up first out of the two, and even though he was positively shaking from nerves he managed to keep a smile on his face as the Sorting Hat was placed on his head. It surely took no more than thirty seconds before the Hat called out his new house, but it felt like forever to Niall. He became momentarily mesmerized by the ceiling of the Great Hall, nearly missing when _Ravenclaw!_ was called out by the Hat.

He sat there on the stool for a moment, stunned by the news. He'd never thought, not in a million years, that he'd be put in Ravenclaw. All he'd ever heard about Ravenclaw was that it was for the cleverest of students, and he was positive that he did not fit that criteria.

Still, the Ravenclaw table erupted in cheers as he slipped off the stool and stumbled over to join them, catching Liam's eye and giving him a thumbs up as he sat down. He quickly introduced himself to those around him before turning back to watch the rest of the sorting.

One by one, students went up to be sorted but Niall hardly paid attention; at least, not until one Zayn Malik was called. As he was placed in Hufflepuff and took a seat on the far side of the hall, Niall couldn't help but feel a bit more upset about not being put in that house. He chewed his bottom lip nervously and pried his eyes away from the boy, wondering if anyone had ever protested their sorting.

The thought quickly disappeared when Liam was finally called, and Niall clasped his hands together as he waited for the result.

_Gryffindor!_

Niall's heart sank. Liam smiled proudly as the Hat was removed from his head, but he caught Niall's eye as he sat down at the Gryffindor table and the smile was soon replaced with a frown.

Ever the optimist, Niall gave him the thumbs-up and mouthed _congrats_ to him. Liam smiled before his attention was stolen by someone else at his table, and Niall turned his attention back to the last few students who had to be sorted.

Niall snuck another look over to the Hufflepuff table, not meaning to catch Zayn's eye and immediately flushing upon doing so. Zayn smiled bashfully in return, quickly tearing his eyes away from Niall and back to the front of the room towards the staff table.

After the sorting finished and Headmaster McGonagall gave a short speech, the Great Hall erupted in a deafening din as the tables filled with all sorts of delicious food. Niall had never seen such piles of mouthwatering dishes and quickly began stuffing his face, though it was only a mild distraction from his pounding heart.

 

**December, 7th Year**

"It's bloody _cold_ , Niall," Zayn whines as they climb the stairs to the Astronomy tower.

"That's the point, innit?" Niall pauses at one of the windows, using the sleeve of his robes to wipe at the glass so he could gesture to the snow-covered grounds outside. "Snow means cold, and cold means cuddling for warmth."

"Why can't we cuddle somewhere with a proper fireplace?" Zayn grumbles under his breath. Niall pulls Zayn close and kisses his forehead, his nose, and his lips in succession.

"S'tradition, alright? Quit whinging."

"I'll whinge all I like, I could be warm in my bed but instead--"

"Instead, you're going to finish climbing these ruddy stairs and cuddle with _me_ and you'll bloody well like it."

Zayn twists his mouth, clearly trying to hide a smile. He shrugs in response and knocks his shoulder against Niall's, almost sending him toppling over against the staircase. Niall never has very good balance anyway.

Niall beams at Zayn as he grabs his hand and continues pulling him up the stairs. Several of the portraits on the wall offer their opinions as they pass - "Shouldn't you two be in a lesson?" "Been a while since we've seen you..." "Watch the trick step!" - and Zayn ducks his head to hide his burning cheeks.

"Cheeky lot today," Niall comments when they finally reach the top of the stairs.

"C'mon, I'm cold," Zayn whines, wrapping his arms around himself and shuddering for effect. Niall rolls his eyes before heading into the deserted Astronomy classroom with Zayn at his heels.

"Ya big baby," Niall mumbles as he sits down, pulling several glass jars out of his bag and lighting magical fires in each one before arranging them neatly. Once he's finished, Zayn immediately curls up next to him, shoving his head under Niall's chin and burrowing in to share his warmth.

"S'cold." Niall chuckles and wraps his arms around Zayn, hugging him tightly and smiling against his hair when Zayn hums happily.

"See? Isn't this nice?"

"It'd be nicer if we were in a bed." Zayn tilts his head up and touches his lips against Niall's neck, grinning against his skin when Niall shudders.

"That's how it is, yeah?" Niall asks softly as he looks down at Zayn, gently brushing their lips together. Zayn turns around in Niall's arms and slowly pushes him down onto the floor, smirking at Niall when he winces at the cold sensation that runs up his back.

"Told you."

"Shut up and kiss me." Niall tugs Zayn down, looping his arms around Zayn's back again and tugging his sweater up so he can trace his fingers along the knobs of Zayn's spine.

"Niall," Zayn whimpers, "your hands are freezing."

"M'trying to warm 'em up." Niall grunts softly as he shifts Zayn off of him, a small smirk playing across his lips that Zayn doesn't entirely trust. "Got an idea."

Zayn cries out a moment later after Niall has unceremoniously shoved one of his hands into Zayn's trousers, but his cry turned into a moan when Niall's hand cups his dick.

"Bloody cheater," he says through gritted teeth, biting back another moan as Niall starts to move his hand.

"Two birds, one stone," Niall replies before latching his mouth onto Zayn's neck and stroking him faster. Zayn grips Niall's shoulder tightly and pants in his ear, jerking his hips into Niall's hand as Niall murmurs encouragement against his skin.

Afterwards, when they're both breathless and curled into each other, Zayn buries his head against Niall's chest and closes his eyes tightly. It hurts to think that there will only be so many more times that they'll be together like this at Hogwarts, and the reality of it makes everything seem so scary.

"Zayn?" Niall says softly, barely above a whisper. His fingers cautiously stroke through Zayn's hair, his dull nails gently scratching against Zayn's scalp in a way that always worked to calm him down.

"Y'smell like parchment," Zayn murmurs, inhaling deeply again as he listens to Niall chuckle.

"House elves wash me robes with spare bits of it, don't you know?" he teases lightly, making Zayn smile as easy as ever.

"Obviously, you're never in the library."

"Rubbish," Niall remarks with a light scoff, "I was in there last week."

"Yeah, because Haz told you I was in there." Zayn slowly lifts his head and looks up at Niall, who looks back down at him with a cheeky grin.

"Still counts."

"Idiot," Zayn mumbles affectionately as he kisses Niall before settling back down into his previous position. He manages to push all the negative thoughts out of his mind, choosing to fill it up with good thoughts and hopes for the future.

He laces his fingers with Niall's tightly and breathes out a deep sigh as he closes his eyes again. He can still see the flames within the glass jars dancing on the back of his eyelids and that coupled with the soft sounds of Niall's breath and his warm embrace, Zayn manages to feel right at home.

 

**April, 3rd Year**

No matter what Liam said, Niall most certainly was not _stalking_ Zayn. They were friends, sort of. Niall swore it didn't count as actual stalking if both parties were aware of the other's existence.

"That's not the point, Niall," Liam had said during breakfast one particularly rainy morning. They were both seated at Gryffindor's table that morning despite having spent every meal the previous day at that particular table. Niall had expected to sit at Ravenclaw, but quickly followed Liam when it was clear he'd been making a beeline for Gryffindor.

He'd been meaning to ask Liam about it but given their current conversation, he hadn't exactly had the chance to.

"Your point is rubbish, Li." Niall took a moment to stuff his face with eggs before he continued, ignoring the mildly disgusted look on Liam's face. "I just want to know where he goes."

"Then why don't you ask him like a normal person instead of sneaking about?"

Niall grimaced before swallowing his mouthful. "Where's the fun in that?"

"Niall," Liam groaned as he shook his head, "this is going to turn out far worse than that time you tried to prop the door to your common room open because you didn't want to answer any more riddles."

"What? That was a good idea!" Liam narrowed his eyes and Niall chuckled wryly. "Y'know, apart from accidentally letting that tosser Louis into the dormitories."

"Yeah," Liam muttered darkly. Niall looked up from his plate to catch Liam glaring at the Slytherin table across the Hall, directly where Louis was seated and laughing at something one of his fellow Slytherins had said.

As soon as Liam noticed Niall staring at him he quickly ducked his head and poked his fork at his untouched food, thinking it would get Niall to look away.

"What?" he demanded when several minutes had passed and Niall hadn't done anything.

"Nothing," Niall replied. "It's just...is that why you didn't want to sit at me table today?"

"No," Liam mumbled. "Maybe."

"Just asking, Li. Makes no difference to me."

Liam opened his mouth to reply but whatever he was about to say was drowned out by the sound of a loud crash outside the doors to the Great Hall, and just about every head turned to see Zayn walking in with his head down and one very, very red Harry Styles trailing behind him.

"Walking menace, that one," Niall mumbled, earning a soft snicker from Liam as they watched the pair sit down at the far end of the Hufflepuff table.

"Seems nice enough, though." Liam shrugged. "So are you going to come with me to the library or do you have stalking to do?"

Just as Niall was about to reply, Zayn looked up and caught his eye. A faint smile crossed his lips before he turned his attention back to Harry and Niall felt warm and fuzzy all over, similar to after he'd had one too many Butterbeers.

"Stalking," he replied as he turned to Liam with a grin. "Definitely."

 

**October, 2nd Year**

"C'mon, c'mon, open up…" Niall mumbled as he stared at the stack of barrels in front of him, hoping that their secrets would reveal themselves sooner rather than later. He was one step away from just kicking them when he heard a voice behind him.

"What're you doing?" Niall jumped and spun on his heels, knocking himself back into the barrels when he saw Zayn standing behind him with a very suspicious look on his face. Niall let out an awkward laugh, leaning against the barrels in several different positions in an attempt to look nonchalant before he dropped the act and took a hesitant step forward.

"Just...y'know…"

"No, I don't think I do," Zayn answered, still staring at him warily but standing his ground. "Are you trying to break into our common room?"

"I-- What?" Niall took a quick look at the wall behind him before turning back to Zayn and sputtering further, "your-- wait, this isn't the way into the kitchens?"

Zayn's face immediately softened and he bit his lip, holding back laughter as he shook his head. Niall blinked and frowned at Zayn, feeling mildly upset that Zayn found this funny.

"I thought Ravenclaws were supposed to be clever," he quipped with a cheeky smile.

"I thought Hufflepuffs were supposed to be kind," Niall answered with a frown. Zayn rolled his eyes before gesturing for Niall to step towards him.

"You're lucky I came along before you were doused in vinegar and locked the entrance."

"What?" Niall gaped at him in horror. "You have a bloody _booby-trap_?!" Zayn grinned and Niall groaned in frustration.

"Jealous?"

"Obviously." Niall huffed. "All we've got are stupid riddles."

Zayn laughed at that; a brilliant sound that sent warmth through Niall's chest and he couldn't help but smile in return. He was reminded of the first time he'd seen Zayn in the Great Hall, suddenly feeling nervous about being near him.

It wasn't as though it was the first time he and Zayn had spoken; Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were grouped together for several lessons and more than once they'd been paired up for practicing spells, but they weren't exactly _friends_. Not for lack of trying on Niall's part, but up until this moment it had seemed that Zayn was more the loner type.

Zayn reached out his hand and gently took a hold of Niall's elbow, pulling him back up the corridor until they were standing in front of a painting of a bowl of fruit. Niall stared at the painting quizzically for a moment before turning his attention to Zayn, who was still smiling.

"Why'd you want to get into the kitchens, anyway?"

"Me best mate, Liam, he's in Gryffindor, yeah?" Niall paused to laugh. "After they won the last Quidditch match, he went on and on about how some 5th years got tons of food from the kitchen elves and--"

"And what?"

"I just wanted to see it for meself," Niall answered softly, feeling foolish about his reasoning now that he'd said it aloud.

"You're a bit ridiculous," Zayn replied with a grin.

"Shut it," Niall mumbled. Zayn kept grinning at him as he reached past him towards the painting and tickled the pear. Niall watched as it squirmed, laughed, and then turned into a doorknob right before his eyes.

"There you are." Zayn patted Niall's shoulder before he started to walk back down the corridor to the Hufflepuff common room entrance.

"How'd you know?" Niall called after him. "About the pear and all that?"

 Zayn looked at Niall over his shoulder and smiled. "Hufflepuff common knowledge, innit?"

 

 **May, 3rd Year**  

Niall was _supposed_ to meet Liam in the library to start preparing for their exams, but he'd become a bit distracted. Honestly, it wasn't his fault that he'd just happened to be passing by the Great Hall at the same time that Zayn and Harry were leaving. And it absolutely was not his fault that he just _had_ to follow them out of the castle instead of making his way towards the library.

No matter what Liam was going to say later that night during supper, it just wasn't Niall's fault.

The main problem was that Niall wasn't exactly good at being sneaky. He'd only managed not getting caught following Zayn by pure, dumb luck. Or perhaps the fact that Niall had a ridiculous talent for ducking behind trees, columns, even his fellow students just to stay out of sight.

Whatever luck he had ran out that day when he was ambushed by none other than Harry Styles.

"What're you doing?"

"Nothing," Niall answered quickly. "What're _you_ doing?"

"Wondering why you've been following me and Zayn," Harry replied with a curious look.

"I'm not-- I just-- Y'see--" Niall sputtered out a laugh before clearing his throat awkwardly. "I wasn't."

"You were," Zayn said as he appeared by Harry's side. Niall chewed on his bottom lip as his mind raced to come up with a plausible excuse.

"Didja, uh-- I, erm, forgot to copy the Arithmancy homework down?"

"The Arithmancy homework?" Zayn repeated. Niall nodded furiously. "There wasn't any."

"Oh." Niall's stomach plummeted. "Right. That would-- explains why I didn't write it down."

Harry laughed, quickly stifling the sound using the crook of his elbow while Niall turned red. Zayn elbowed him but it did nothing to deter Harry's laughter. Niall took a few steps back, suddenly no longer wanting to know where it was Zayn wandered off to all the time if it meant being the main source of amusement from his 2nd Year cohort.

"I'll just--" Niall gestured to the castle behind them before he took off at a sprint, not slowing down until he'd run all the way back inside.

It wasn't until after he'd recounted the whole dreadful ordeal to Liam that he realized he couldn't very well ever talk to Zayn again. Just the thought of facing him at the next meal was enough to tie Niall's stomach up in knots.

"Probably thinks I'm utterly mad. Bet him and Harry have been laughing at me nonstop."

"You are mad," Liam reasoned, not looking up from his Transfiguration essay. "But I'm sure they haven't been laughing at you."

"You weren't _there_ ," Niall moaned as he buried his head in his arms.

"No, because I was _here_ where you were supposed to be." Liam shook his head. "S'all your own fault."

"You're supposed to be making me feel better," Niall muttered, his voice muffled by his robes. "You're me best mate."

"As your best mate, I'm telling you you're an idiot." Liam snickered softly when Niall lifted his head and glared at him. "Just saying, for a Ravenclaw you're awfully daft."

"Hey, s'not my fault I'm not the cleverest, alright?" Niall slumped back down onto the table and sighed heavily. "I'm just rubbish at everything."

"You are not," Liam replied, finally putting his quill down and gently patting Niall's head. "You're just a bit rubbish at being stealthy."

"It would've worked if I had an invisibility cloak." Liam laughed.

"I'll keep an eye out for one, just for you."

 

**February, 7th Year**

There's only one thing that manages to pull Zayn out of bed on a cold, dreary morning - besides Niall, even if he still hasn't managed to get into the Hufflepuff basement after _three years_ \- and that's his garden. However, ever since Professor Sprout allotted him a small section of Greenhouse Five for his own use, he always manages to wrangle someone into going with him.

"Zayn," Niall groans as Zayn climbs into bed with him, letting in a chill and making Niall shiver. "Why is it that you can get into me dormitory but I can't get into yours?"

"Because I can't very well let you in, can I?" Zayn says as he wraps his arms around Niall, grinning against his neck.

"Yeah, yeah," Niall grumbles, "the thousand-year run, and all that."

"Wish I could," Zayn continues with a shiver of his own, "it's too drafty in this tower."

"Sorry, _your majesty_ ," Niall snickers, "maybe you should've stayed in your basement."

"You're supposed to come with me to the greenhouses." Zayn sticks out his bottom lip in a pout and Niall closes his eyes with the intent to ignore Zayn and try and go back to sleep. " _Niall_!"

"Just _go_ already!" A grumpy, sleep-filled voice carries from the other side of the dormitory, sending Zayn into a fit of giggles. Niall lets out a pathetic whimper before Zayn slips his fingers under the hem of Niall's shirt, teasing the tender skin of his stomach and making Niall moan softly.

"Zayn," he whispers.

"Niall," Zayn whispers back with a soft laugh. "C'mon, love."

"Just wanted to _sleep_ ," Niall whines as he kicks the covers, and Zayn can't help the smile that spreads across his face.

"I'll make it up to you," he says as Niall heaves himself out of bed and starts pulling on warmer clothes. "I nicked some food from the kitchens since we'll be missing breakfast."

"You're lucky I love you," Niall grumbles, sitting back down on the bed to pull on his boots. Zayn grins and wraps his arms around Niall's midsection as he rests his chin on Niall's shoulder.

"Don't I know it."

*

"Dunno why you made me bring me History of Magic book," Niall grumbles as Zayn unlocks the door to Greenhouse Five.

"Because you never finish your work if I'm not around to make you," Zayn replies with a smirk.

"Not true," Niall mumbles as he sits down in a chair near the door, taking special care to avoid the Venomous Tentacula. "M'hungry. Thought you said you nicked breakfast?"

"I did." Zayn turns, rolling his eyes when he sees the timid look on Niall's face. "You'll have to come over here if you want any, though."

" _Fine_ ," Niall huffs, dragging his feet as he trudges over to the other side of the greenhouse. Zayn smiles with his tongue tucked between his teeth when Niall slumps against him, tucking his head under Zayn's chin and nuzzling against his neck. "What've you got, then?"

"Your favorites, of course."

" _You're_ me favorite." Zayn lets out a soft chuckle as he passes his bag to Niall, unzipping it to reveal all the goodies he brought with him. He waits until Niall's got his mouth stuffed with just about a bit of everything to nudge him.

"C'mon, why don't you read aloud for me?"

"But...bacon…"

"You can keep the bacon," Zayn promises, "but I won't have your mum sending me a Howler when you've failed your N.E.W.T.s."

"She wouldn't…" Niall mumbles pathetically, knowing full well his mum would probably send the both of them Howlers just to prove her point. "Yeah, alright."

Niall lets out an overdramatic sigh as he strolls back to his chair, carefully tucking Zayn's bag full of food under his arm as soon as he left Zayn's side. After he's settled himself with the bag fully within arm's reach, he places his textbook on his lap and opens it to the page he'd dogeared the night before.

"Ready to hear me drone on about the Giant Wars?"

"Can't be any worse than listening to Binn," Zayn replies as he busies himself with a rather large Snargaluff, having already pulled on his dragonhide gloves.

Zayn loves listening to Niall talk, even when he's simply reading from a textbook. There's just something about Niall's voice that's always calmed Zayn; it's always made him feel right at home. He's only really half-listening to what Niall says - mainly because he already finished the reading for their next class - but his ears perk up when Niall says something that doesn't quite make sense.

"...unafraid of trolls--"

"What?" Niall sputters a bit, thrown off by Zayn's sudden interruption.

"What?" he asks as he looks up from his book, his hand frozen halfway to bringing a muffin to his mouth.

"Did you just say 'unafraid of trolls'?" Niall frowns and looks down at his book to locate the place he'd paused.

"No, it says 'unafraid of toils'," he replies with a laugh. "Are you hearing things?"

"No," Zayn says with a similar laugh, "you're reading it wrong."

"Am not." Niall shoves the rest of the muffin into his mouth, tosses the book aside and strides over to Zayn so he can wrap his arms around him. "I'm bored."

"You should finish reading," Zayn chastises softly, though really he has no complaints about getting cuddles from Niall.

"Don't want to. What's that?" He points to a rather menacing looking plant to their left, and Zayn chuckles.

"S'not what you think it is. Called a Flitterbloom."

"So it's not a--"

"Devil's Snare?" Zayn supplies with a smile. "Nah."

"So it won't strangle me, then?"

"Not today."

" _Not today_ ," Niall mumbles under his breath. "Least me hobby won't get you throttled."

"No, yours just keeps us up all night staring at clouds." Niall leans in and nips at Zayn's ear, grinning when Zayn squawks.

"Cheeky. I know you love when we go stargazing."

"Haven't seen many stars," Zayn replies with a smile, grunting softly when he feels Niall's hands on his waist tighten their grip.

"Well it's not me fault it's been cloudy," Niall says as he kisses Zayn's neck. "Or that you look bloody irresistible in the moonlight."

Zayn sucks in a sharp breath as Niall's hands hike up his jumper, feeling Niall smirk against the skin of his neck. Zayn gently presses his hips back against Niall's as he takes off his gloves, reaching behind him to pull Niall closer.

"You'd better hope Professor Sprout doesn't catch us like this," he mumbles when Niall slowly spins him around. Niall just smirks, pressing their lips together before he sinks to his knees.

"Better be quick about it then, yeah?"

 

**November, 4th Year**

Niall was happy for Liam when he made the Gryffindor Quidditch team, he really was. He just wasn't all that happy about the prospect of sitting in the stands by himself during the matches.

"But you've got loads of friends in Ravenclaw," Liam said in disbelief when Niall relayed this information to him on the morning of the first match. "You've got loads of friends in every House!"

"Yeah, but they're not me best mate, you tosser."

"Aww, Nialler." Liam chuckled. A spark appeared in his eyes as he tilted his head towards Niall, and Niall stared at him curiously as he paused in eating his oatmeal.

"What?" Niall asked, quickly rubbing his face. "Have I been missing me mouth again?"

"No, I've just had an idea!"

"Hang on while I send an owl to the Daily Prophet," Niall teased, "Liam Payne's had an idea!"

"Oh shut up, twat." Liam smacked the back of Niall's head, and Niall snickered into his bowl of oatmeal. "Why don't you just sit with Zayn and Harry?"

Niall dropped his spoon with a clatter, immediately going bright red.

"W-What?"

"Zayn's a mate, right?" Liam went on, clearly getting far too much amusement from Niall's reaction. "With all the time you spend following him around--"

"I do not!"

"--I just thought maybe you'd actually want to _spend time_ with him, for once."

"I-- You-- I--" Niall sputtered before groaning loudly and collapsing onto the table, narrowly missing his breakfast.

"Oh look, there's Zayn now. Oi, Zayn!"

"Liam what are you doing?!" Niall whispered harshly, reaching out to smack Liam's hand down to prevent him from waving Zayn over. It was too late, as Zayn and Harry were already making their way over to Gryffindor's table and Niall had no choice but to lift his head up and hope his cheeks weren't too impossibly red.

"Hi Liam," Zayn said before he turned to Niall and said in a softer tone, "hey, Niall."

"Good luck at the match today," Harry added before Niall could manage a reply. "Knock Slytherin off their brooms, yeah?"

"We'll certainly try," Liam replied with a grin. "Would you two mind looking after Niall for me? Dunno what he'll do without me around to keep an eye on him."

"I don't--" Niall began, but Zayn interrupted.

"Absolutely." Zayn smiled, turning the slightest shade of pink as he added, "s'long as you don't mind sitting in the Hufflepuff box."

"N-No," Niall stuttered. "Sounds great."

"Brilliant."

"C'mon, Zayn, I'm _starving_ ," Harry said as he tugged on the sleeve of Zayn's robes. "See you in a bit, Niall."

Niall waited until they'd sat down at the opposite end of the hall at Hufflepuff's table before he smacked Liam upside the head, much harder than Liam had hit him before.

"Hey!"

"I don't know why you're me best mate," he grumbled.

"Just wait. You'll thank me later," Liam replied as he rubbed the back of his head.

Niall had half a mind to run off and hide in the Ravenclaw tower for the entirety of the match, but it seemed that Liam was wise to this idea and refused to let Niall out of his sight. He had to practically drag Niall by the scruff of his neck down to the Quidditch pitch where Zayn and Harry were waiting for them.

Once Liam had left the three of them to join the rest of the Gryffindor team, Niall was pleased to find out that Harry had a habit of needing to fill silences with chatter even if he was the only one talking. Niall and Zayn followed Harry as he led the way to the Hufflepuff box, already going on and on about how he fully expected Gryffindor to win over Slytherin.

Niall tried to listen to what Harry was saying and respond back, but the truth was that Harry spoke so slowly and in such a rambling fashion that Niall found it rather difficult to keep track of what Harry was actually talking about. After they'd settled in their seats, Zayn gently nudged Niall with his elbow and smiled.

"You get used to it."

"Used to what?" Niall replied with a mildly nervous laugh.

"Harry."

"He's not that bad," Niall said as he stole a glance at Harry, who had already pulled in a Hufflepuff girl into conversation. She looked utterly confused by him, but was nodding along politely anyway.

"Nah," Zayn said with a laugh. "He just likes to talk."

"I've noticed." Niall rubbed his hands together, suddenly cold even though it was a fairly warm day for November. Zayn rummaged about in his pocket, drawing out a pair of gloves and offering them to Niall who stared at them in confusion.

"What?" Zayn asked when Niall hadn't made any moves to take them.

"What're you doing carrying around a spare pair of gloves?" Niall asked curiously. Zayn was already wearing a pair, as was Harry. It made no sense to Niall whatsoever. Zayn ducked his head and chuckled softly, pushing the gloves into Niall's hands as he stared down at his feet.

"I dunno, I just…" he trailed off softly and looked at Niall out of the corner of his eye. "You never seem to have gloves. Just thought you might need some."

Niall flushed, feeling the color rise in his cheeks all the way to the tips of his ears as he thought about Zayn _noticing_ him like that. It was entirely true, though. Niall always somehow managed to lose his gloves; his mum had stopped sending him new pairs after the fourth owl he'd sent home whinging about it.

"Thanks," he replied as he pulled them on, resisting the urge to press them against his cheeks. They sat in silence for a moment before Harry pulled Zayn's attention away, dragging him back into conversation. Niall looked towards the pitch, seeing Liam wave up at him with a large grin.

As Niall waved back, he made a mental note to buy Liam a butterbeer the next time they went to Hogsmeade.

The thing was, Niall was a _huge_ fan of Quidditch. In the past, Liam had covered his mouth more than once, snapping " _leave the bloody commentating to the commentator, yeah?_ " It would usually last for no more than ten minutes, and then Niall would be off again going on and on about some play that had just happened.

He tried keeping quiet for the first few minutes of the match - he really did. But after the third time he'd groaned loudly and started mumbling under his breath, Zayn nudged him with his elbow.

"Y'alright?"

"Yeah, m'fine, it's just--" Niall looked up at the match and then back at Zayn before the words just started spilling out. "I _told_ Liam that Slytherin favors the Hawkshead Attacking Formation and it just makes it that much easier for them to go around blatching the other Chasers!"

Zayn stared at Niall with wide eyes, clearly not understanding a single word that had just come out of his mouth.

"Yes! Brilliant!" Niall cheered as he watched one of Gryffindor's Chasers - a lovely girl named Sophia - score against Slytherin's Keeper. "That was an excellent Porskoff Ploy, that was!"

"And you say _I_ talk too much," Harry muttered to Zayn, grinning when Zayn pushed him away.

"Sorry," Niall mumbled as he blushed.

"You _really_ like Quidditch, don't you?" Zayn asked in an amused tone and Niall shrugged his shoulders.

"Me dad used to take me to see the Kenmare Kestrels, before the tickets got too expensive. Who's got fifty galleons to spare on a match?"

Zayn shrugged his shoulders in response, and Niall blushed harder. He turned his attention back to the match, just in time to see Louis heading towards Liam with the Quaffle tucked under his arm. Niall held his breath, barely registering the fact that he'd somehow latched on to Zayn's wrist with a tight grip as he watched Liam knock the Quaffle away from the middle goal-post.

Louis did not take the block very well, flying his broomstick dangerously close to Liam's and elbowing him so hard in the chest that he nearly sent Liam falling through the goal-post himself.

"Cobbing!" Niall shouted as he rose to his feet; his yell mixing with hundreds of other outraged voices as Liam struggled to right himself on his own broomstick, sending a death glare in Louis' direction as he flew back to the middle of the pitch. "C'mon, Bressie! That was rubbish!"

Professor Breslin - the referee - appeared to give Louis a stern talking-to, but that wasn't enough for Niall. He continued grumbling under his breath as he sat back down next to Zayn, only then realizing he was still clutching Zayn's wrist.

"Sorry," he mumbled sheepishly as he let go. Zayn gently knocked his shoulder against Niall's and bit his bottom lip.

"You'll have to teach me more about Quidditch. You keep saying all these things and I've got no idea what they mean."

"Might take a bit," Niall replied with a sly grin. "There's seven hundred ways to foul, y'know."

"No kidding?" Zayn whistled. "Good thing we've got all year, innit?"

"Yeah." Niall bit back an even larger grin. In the back of his mind, he upped the number of butterbeers he owed Liam to two.

Niall spent the rest of the match pointing out plays to Zayn and explaining their names and how they helped the team who executed them. Despite the Slytherin team pulling out most if not all the dirty tricks in their playbook, the Gryffindor team won the match. Niall was ecstatic that Liam had helped his team win their first match, but the end of the match brought with it the end of his spending time with Zayn.

"Until the next match?" he said with a wry smile as the Hufflepuff box emptied out around them. Harry had, once again, roped another fellow Hufflepuff into conversation, leaving Zayn and Niall free to talk.

"Depends," Zayn replied with a teasing smile, "might be a bad idea, fraternizing with the enemy and all."

Niall couldn't help but laugh at that; Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were the next Houses to play each other in two weeks. It hadn't crossed Niall's mind that Liam would be free to go to the match with him then; he was too preoccupied with the idea of spending more time with Zayn.

"I should go find Liam, before he's swallowed up by his whole House," Niall said, gesturing to the pitch where Liam and his fellow teammates were still celebrating.

Zayn nodded his head but stayed silent. Niall hesitated for a moment, wondering if Zayn might say something else to him. Just as he made a move to get up, Zayn's hand closed around his wrist and he let out a nervous breath.

"You going to Hogsmeade next weekend?" Zayn asked rather quickly, so much that Niall had to play Zayn's question over in his mind before he was able to answer.

"Y-Yeah. You?"

Zayn nodded. "Maybe we can go together?"

"I'd like that," Niall answered, willing his voice not to crack as his throat suddenly felt very dry. Zayn smiled widely and squeezed Niall's wrist once before letting it go. As he made his way down to the Quidditch pitch, a huge smile spread across Niall's face that had absolutely nothing to do with his best mate winning his first match.

Liam pulled Niall into a hug as soon as he got close enough, too hyped up on adrenaline to notice anything different about Niall. Though with all the mayhem surrounding the pair, it was going to be hard to concentrate on anything other than Gryffindor's victory for at least a day.

It didn't really matter to Niall; he was content to keep this information to himself for the time being. He knew that Liam would prod him with questions the following morning, so that night he pushed it all aside to give Liam and the rest of Gryffindor the recognition they deserved.

But, long after the party ended and Niall was alone in his bed staring at the ceiling, he couldn't help but think about Zayn's smile. It was all he saw when he closed his eyes, and he couldn't wait to see it again.

*

By the time the next weekend rolled around, Niall was far less excited and far more nervous about the idea of going to Hogsmeade with Zayn. No matter what Liam said to try and calm him down, he would just keep rambling on about how many different ways this could go horribly wrong.

"For the last time, I highly doubt you will vom on Zayn's shoes." Liam sighed heavily as he tugged on the collar of Niall's robes to get him to follow. "You love food too much to waste it like that."

"But I'm just saying--"

"You're ridiculous," Liam cut him off. "You're acting like someone's put a bloody Babbling Curse on you and I've had it."

"Maybe they have!" Niall moaned, clinging to Liam dramatically as his legs gave out from under him. "They've given me the Jelly-Legs Curse too!"

" _They_ have not," Liam grumbled, still dragging Niall along with him, "you're being a ridiculous twat."

"How can you say that? Liam? Liam!"

Liam clapped a hand over Niall's mouth, quickly pulling him behind a pillar as a group of Slytherins passed. Niall tried to protest, but fell silent as Liam's grip tightened as Louis passed by with a loud cackle. Suddenly Niall's worries about his impending date were forgotten and he was filled with curiosity.

"Liam?" Niall said hesitantly once the group had passed and Liam had taken his hand away.

"I don't want to talk about it," Liam muttered as he let go of Niall's collar and stormed off. Niall quickly ran after him, having to grab onto the sleeve of Liam's robe to get him to slow down.

"Still mad about last week's match,then?" he asked once Liam had come to stop in the corridor outside the Charms classroom.

"What?" Liam replied quickly, as though he had no idea what Niall was talking about.

"Have you forgotten the way he cobbed you?" Niall laughed in disbelief. "The tosser nearly pushed you through the goal post!"

"Oh," Liam answered as he stared down at his shoes. "Yeah, that was--" Liam cleared his throat and Niall gave him a curious look. "Can we just not talk about it?"

"Yeah," Niall replied, though nearly every fibre of his being was dying to know. "Sure, Liam."

True to his word, Niall didn't ask anything further about Liam's reaction to seeing Louis. He desperately wanted to but the fact that Liam had point-blank asked him not to wasn't the type of thing that Niall could argue with. That, and he wasn't entirely sure that Liam would be above cursing him.

Heading towards Hogsmeade the following morning felt eerily similar to the previous weekend when Liam dragged Niall down to the Quidditch pitch. Niall hadn't thought it possible, but he was even _more_ nervous than before. Liam had to keep a firm grip on Niall's wrist for fear that he'd take off running back towards the castle at any moment.

By the time they'd reached the village and were making their way towards The Three Broomsticks, Niall's constant babbling had all but vanished and instead he was hyperventilating and nearly close to passing out.

"You're going to be _fine_ , Niall."

"Easy for you to say!" he cried in return, clutching desperately at Liam's arm as Zayn and Harry came into view. They were huddled quite close together as it had snowed earlier that week and there was a fair amount on the ground as well as in the air; the sunlight peeking through the clouds making everything sparkle.

Zayn's face lit up when he spotted Niall and Liam, making Niall's heart thump wildly. After the four of them exchanged greetings, they all stood around awkwardly; both Liam and Harry were staring at their respective best mates, waiting for someone to make the first move.

"Right," Liam said as he cleared his throat and turned to Harry, "fancy a Butterbeer?"

"Love one!" Harry replied with a bright smile. "I was also thinking of going to Gladrags, would you want to--"

"Yeah, yeah, c'mon--" Liam mumbled as he hustled Harry into the pub, quickly pulling away from Niall before he had a chance to latch on. Niall stared at the door as it shut behind the two before turning back to Zayn and letting out a nervous laugh, only feeling slightly better when Zayn did the same.

"Did you--"

"I was--"

The pair both laughed again at having interrupted one another, but Niall knew if one of them didn't say _something_ soon that they'd be standing there all day.

"What should we do?" he asked, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. He was wearing the gloves that Zayn had given - by some stroke of luck he hadn't lost them yet - but he wasn't entirely sure he could resist the urge to take Zayn's hand in his own, and he was certain they weren't ready for that just yet.

Zayn shrugged his shoulders, offering Niall a soft smile as he replied, "we could go to Honeydukes? I could go for something sweet."

Niall smiled in return and the pair started walking slowly towards Honeydukes, occasionally brushing against one another as they weaved their way through the crowd of fellow Hogwarts students. Getting into the sweet shop was an entirely different story; as per usual, it was overflowing with people in a mad dash to grab as many different types of candy as they could.

Zayn hooked his arm through Niall's so they wouldn't get separated, and Niall could only hope that Zayn didn't notice the flush in his cheeks from having Zayn so close to him.

"Anything in particular?" Niall said, leaning into Zayn so he didn't have to shout quite so loud over the din around them.

"Honeydukes Best Chocolate is my favorite," Zayn answered and Niall bit his bottom lip to keep from smiling too widely.

"Mine, too."

Niall pulled Zayn along through the shop until they reached the display of chocolate bars, only to find that there was just one left. Niall quickly swiped it before anyone else could, but as he turned around to face Zayn he held it out to him.

"Here," he said as he gently pushed it into Zayn's hand. Zayn looked at the display behind him and frowned as he tried to hand it back to Niall.

"You had it first."

"M'giving it to you," Niall replied, stuffing his hands back in his pockets so Zayn couldn't give the chocolate back to him. Zayn rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Meet me outside then, yeah? It's mad in here."

Zayn disappeared into the crowd and Niall made his way back towards the door, breathing a long sigh of relief once he'd made it back outside. He only had to wait a minute or two before Zayn emerged from the door, looking only mildly bewildered.

"Absolutely mad," Zayn said as he stepped close to Niall to avoid standing in the way of the door. He took the chocolate bar from his pocket and snapped it in half, handing part of it to Niall.

"Zayn-"

"Take it," he insisted. "I bought it for _us_ , you loon."

"Alright," Niall replied, unable to hold back his smile as he took the chocolate and bit into it, all the while keeping his eyes locked with Zayn's. They ate the chocolate in silence, but never broke eye contact.

It wasn't until Niall had finished his portion that he even realized Zayn's arm had been pressed against his own the whole time. Feeling emboldened, he brushed his hand against Zayn's before slowly linking their fingers together. Zayn looked down at their hands curiously and for a moment, Niall thought he'd pull away.

Zayn lifted his head again and smiled widely, squeezing Niall's hand with his own as he tightened his grip. Niall let out a soft breath of relief and Zayn popped his last bit of chocolate into his mouth before nodding his head towards the rest of the village.

"Where to?" Niall shrugged.

"Anywhere."

 

**December, 5th Year**

Zayn always looked forward to Christmas when he was growing up. During his first year of Hogwarts he couldn't wait for Christmas to finally come around because he missed his family so much. Zayn knew that being accepted to Hogwarts was incredible and he'd been so, so excited to go, but even he couldn't escape the absolutely crippling homesickness that hit when he finally got there.

It got easier, as the years went on. It still hurt to leave home but he could always rely on the memories of the previous year of school to help him look forward to another year.

As the Christmas holidays drew closer in his fifth year, he realized that for the first time he wasn't looking forward to going back home. He felt silly; he had already endured being apart from Niall for the entirety of the summer holidays, why was he so upset about the thought of being separated for a week?

Niall didn't seem to be worried about it at all; every time the subject of the upcoming holiday was brought up, he'd start talking excitedly about going back to Ireland to see his family. Zayn couldn't bear the thought of bringing him down, so he kept his mouth shut and wallowed in silent misery.

Two days before they were due to head back to London on the Hogwarts Express, Niall was in the middle of dragging Zayn up to the Astronomy Tower when they overheard a conversation that they most certainly were not meant to.

The pair quickly ducked into the doorway of a random classroom as they tried to subtly peer around the corner to see who they were eavesdropping on. Truth be told, they didn't need to see anything because they both knew who the voices belonged to: Liam and Louis.

"I thought they hated each other," Zayn whispered, gently tugging on Niall's sleeve to keep him out of sight.

"So did I," Niall replied, "Liam is always going on about how much of a twat Louis is, I don't understand."

Zayn shrugged his shoulders and strained to hear the argument, as both Louis and Liam had suddenly dropped their voices as if they knew they were being overheard.

"You're with him all the time!"

"He's just a mate! Which is more than I can say about us," Liam said with a scoff.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Louis spat.

"You--" Liam groaned in frustration. "You're so bloody thick it's driving me mad."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're the one who insists on sneaking around and then you get in a strop about me spending time with Harry bloody Styles of all people!"

"You're no better! You're always slagging me off when you think I'm not around!"

"I--" Liam sighed. "I just don't know what you want from me."

Niall stifled a laugh and Zayn elbowed him sharply. "It's not funny! That's your best mate!"

"They're both twats," Niall replied in an amused whisper. "Practically pulling each other's pigtails."

Zayn rolled his eyes but couldn't keep a fond smile off his face. "You're just as bad."

"Am not." Niall covered Zayn's mouth with his own in a quick kiss, smiling widely as he pulled back. "Now shush, I'm trying to listen."

Zayn carefully peered around the corner and got an eyeful of Louis and Liam in the middle of a full-on snog, and he had to clap his own hand over his mouth to keep from laughing.

"Looks like they're done talking," Zayn said with a quiet snicker as Niall checked too, groaning softly and covering his eyes.

"I'll never get that image out of me head."

"I can help with that," Zayn said, smiling wickedly before he pressed his lips against Niall's and pushed him back against the classroom door. Niall smiled into the kiss as he cupped one hand around the back of Zayn's neck, using his other to pull Zayn against him.

"And here I thought I'd have to wait til we got up to the tower," Niall said, smiling widely a few minutes later when Zayn pulled back.

"Desperate times, desperate measures," Zayn teased. "Does this mean I don't have to freeze up in the tower?"

"Nice try," Niall chuckled. "Is the coast clear?"

The two both peered around the corner, only to be nearly run into by Liam. His eyes widened almost comically when he saw the two of them and he looked practically petrified.

"You-- How-- What're you two _doing_?"

"I could ask you the same question!" Niall replied haughtily, despite a light pinch from Zayn.

"Everything alright, Liam?" Zayn asked hesitantly, looking around for any sign of Louis.

"Yeah," he answered quickly, "why wouldn't it be?"

"Because we saw you snogging your secret Slytherin boyfriend," Niall replied.

"Niall!"

"What?"

Liam buried his head in his hands as Niall and Zayn bickered lightly.

"I don't believe this," he moaned.

"Neither do I," Niall said as he thwacked Liam on the shoulder. "Why didn't you just tell us?"

"I didn't-- I just--" Liam groaned. "Can we just not talk about this right now?"

Neither Niall nor Zayn were able to say another word to Liam because he promptly stormed off, leaving the pair alone in the hallway. Niall let out a long breath and Zayn nervously chewed his thumbnail as they watched him go.

"That could've gone better," Niall remarked. Zayn smacked his shoulder and Niall yelped. "What was that for?"

" _That could've gone better_ ," Zayn mocked. "Look what you just did to your best mate, are you happy?"

"What-- I--" Niall's shoulders slumped. "No," he answered meekly.

"Honestly," Zayn said with a sigh, "don't know why I'm in love with you."

Zayn bit his bottom lip as soon as the words left his mouth, immediately feeling the way Niall's arm tightened around his waist and knowing that there was no way he didn't hear those words.

"You're...in love with me?" Niall asked softly as he tried to get Zayn to look him in the eyes. "Zayn--"

"I just-- I didn't-- you don't have to say it back," Zayn sputtered, half-heartedly trying to get out of Niall's grip.

"Hey," Niall said as he cupped one side of Zayn's face, bringing their lips together in a short kiss. "Of course I do. I'm in love with you too."

Zayn felt his cheeks burn as he pressed his face against Niall's neck, letting out a shaky breath as they clung to each other. Niall kissed his temple repeatedly and murmured _I love you_ until Zayn felt like he was going to collapse.

"Can we--" Zayn nodded his head towards the stairs to the Astronomy tower and Niall laughed.

"You _want_ to go up there?" Zayn nodded. "You must really love me."

"Shut up," he mumbled, letting Niall pull him up the stairs much faster than ever before.

 

**February, 4th Year**

There's nothing quite as devastating to a Quidditch fan as watching your team lose when you _know_ they could've won. It had been awkward enough during the Ravenclaw-Hufflepuff match when Niall didn't want to cheer too loudly for Ravenclaw while sitting with Zayn and Harry (Liam cheered for both teams so he didn't count); the fact that Ravenclaw lost to _Slytherin_ during the third match of the season was just insult to injury.

"Tough luck," Liam said with a sad smile as he gently patted Niall on the shoulder.

"Slytherin's going to be insufferable for ages," Niall muttered.

"They're already insufferable," Liam replied, to which Niall couldn't help but crack a small smile. "C'mon, you'll feel better after you get some food."

Reluctantly, Niall followed Liam down from the stands with Zayn and Harry close behind. On their walk back up to the castle, Zayn gently put his hand on the small of Niall's back as he stepped closer to him.

"You alright?" he asked softly. Niall shrugged his shoulders and offered a wry smile.

"Yeah, just disappointed, is all."

Zayn nodded slowly, twisting his mouth as though he wanted to say more but didn't know how. Neither spoke again until they'd reached the Great Hall and sat down at the Ravenclaw table: Harry and Liam on one side with Niall and Zayn on the other.

"How come you never tried out for the Ravenclaw team?" Zayn asked.

"I may know a lot about Quidditch," Niall said with a laugh, "but I'm rubbish at it."

"That's not--"

"Oh, it's true," Liam added with a chuckle. "I've seen him try. He can fly alright but he gets distracted too easily."

Niall blushed. "He's right."

"At least you can fly," Zayn offered. "I haven't been on a broom since flying lessons during first year."

"Really?" Niall stared at Zayn incredulously, and he simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Didn't like it. Prefer to keep my feet on the ground."

"I could teach you," Niall said in a low voice meant for Zayn's ears only. Harry had somehow roped Liam into conversation about - from what Niall could hear - toasters.

"I know _how_ to fly," Zayn replied flatly. Niall chuckled softly, slowly reaching out to gently put his hand on Zayn's knee.

"Never said you didn't. But maybe you'd like it more if…"

"If what?" Zayn said, turning to Niall and smiling as he glanced down at Niall's hand. "If you were there to catch me if I fall?"

Niall blushed more and started to take his hand back, but Zayn quickly grabbed it and interlaced their fingers.

"Think maybe I would," Zayn added, still looking down at their hands.

"Tonight?" Niall asked hopefully. Zayn looked up at him and started to protest, so Niall quickly continued, "c'mon, I need something to cheer me up after that awful match."

Zayn's mouth twisted again, though this time it was clear he was trying to hide a grin. Niall squeezed his hand until Zayn smiled widely and nodded.

"Yeah, alright. Just because you need cheering up."

*

Despite Liam's numerous warnings against sneaking down to the Quidditch pitch - "you're not a prefect _yet_ , Li." "I _won't_ be with a best mate like _you_." - Niall and Zayn managed to get out of the castle without getting caught. Zayn didn't know how Niall managed to wrangle two brooms for their use, but somehow he figured that Niall wasn't going to tell.

"I have my ways," he said with a wink as he passed one to Zayn.

"Can't believe I'm getting on a broom," Zayn mumbled with an incredulous look at Niall. "If I crack my skull, it'll be all your fault."

"You won't, I promise." Niall smiled. "It's easy."

"For you," Zayn replied as he climbed onto his broom, already unsteady even though both feet were still on the ground. Niall laughed softly and stepped forward to put his hands over Zayn's, smiling widely at the mildly terrified look on Zayn's face.

"Would you feel better if I got on the broom with you?" Zayn rolled his eyes.

"This rickety old thing?" Zayn laughed. "It'd snap in two."

"Still," Niall said as he stepped back and climbed onto his own broom. "Would if I could."

Zayn watched as Niall's broom lifted him off the ground and he did a slow loop around the pitch. He was mesmerized by the sight; even in the low light of the evening he could see the bright smile on Niall's face. It grew even brighter when he looked back at Zayn, and Zayn couldn't help but smile back.

"C'mon!" Niall called. "I believe in you!"

Zayn took a deep breath as he slowly pushed away from the ground, gripping the broomstick tightly as he rose into the air. Niall flew towards him, laughing softly at the look of sheer panic on Zayn's face as his broom started to wobble.

"I hate you," Zayn grumbled.

"Your broom knows you're nervous," Niall explained softly as he reached forward to lay a hand on the tip of Zayn's broom. It steadied in Niall's hand and Zayn rolled his eyes.

"Does this count as blagging?" Niall laughed loudly.

"I see you only half-listen to what I say during the matches," he said, still smiling widely, "if it was blagging I'd be grabbing onto the tail, not the handle."

"Still," Zayn said as he slowly took one hand off the handle to place it over Niall's, "this is probably one of the seven hundred fouls."

Niall let go of Zayn's broom and turned his hand over to lace their fingers together, squeezing tightly when Zayn made a soft noise of worry. His broom didn't start shaking again but Zayn still didn't trust it.

"Dunno if there's anything in the rules about holding hands," Niall mumbled softly as his broom drifted closer to Zayn's until they were practically shoulder to shoulder.

"Can't be if _you_ don't know about it," Zayn replied playfully. His gaze darted from Niall's eyes down to Niall's lips, instinctively licking his own as he looked up again. Niall leaned over and slowly pressed their lips together and Zayn sighed happily into the kiss.

Niall lifted his other hand off his broom and cupped the back of Zayn's head, sending a shiver through Zayn's body until he realized that Niall was no longer holding onto his broom. He quickly pulled back, nearly sending Niall toppling forward in surprise.

"You trying to kill us both?" he demanded, quickly pushing Niall's hand back towards his broom while keeping a death grip on his other.

"I--" Niall looked petrified and Zayn blushed wildly.

"I'd rather you not fall off your broom," he mumbled, "I quite like kissing you."

Niall let out a breathy, relieved laugh before surging forward to kiss Zayn again.

"I like kissing you too," he said in-between kisses, "but I don't need my hands to stay on my broom."

"Don't--" Zayn said with a yelp as Niall rose higher into the air, letting go of Zayn's hand for a moment as he grinned. Zayn immediately grasped at his broom handle and cursed under his breath. He dropped to the ground - they'd been floating no more than a few feet above it - and let out a deep breath of relief.

Niall landed a moment later with a smirk on his face, striding over to Zayn who was glaring at him. He opened his mouth to start cursing at Niall, but was cut off when Niall wrapped him up in his arms and kissed him.

"You're the worst," Zayn said with a gasp of air when they finally broke apart. Niall chuckled as he pressed his forehead against Zayn's.

"Wasn't that bad, was it?" Zayn bit his bottom lip to fight a smile. "I think it worked quite well."

"That was your plan, yeah? Distract me with--" Niall kissed him again, "-- _that_."

"Yep," Niall replied. Zayn laughed and shook his head.

"The _worst_ ," he repeated before twisting his fingers in Niall's hair and kissing him.

 

**June, 7th Year**

Both Niall and Zayn would be lying if they said they hadn't been dreading the end of the school year since it first started. Neither wanted to say it aloud, but the thought of not returning to Hogwarts the following fall was rather terrifying.

Harry was rather depressed about the whole arrangement because he was being forced to face the fact that he'd be without his best mates for his last year at Hogwarts, whereas Liam was actually _looking forward_ to going home.

Niall was taking every opportunity to tease Liam about it because he knew full well the only reason Liam was excited to be returning to London was due to the fact that he was moving in with Louis. Zayn, on the other hand, was constantly trying to cheer Harry up.

"We'll come to Hogsmeade on trip weekends," Zayn promises for the hundredth time as he and Harry make their way towards the Hogwarts Express, with Niall and Liam following close behind.

"It won't be the _same_ ," Harry whines, sniffling pathetically as he rubs at his eyes.

"Wipe that smug grin off your face." Niall's voice carries from behind them. "Don't act like you're not sad about leaving here just because that Slytherin is waiting on the other side."

"How many times do I have to ask you not to call him that?"

"Oh, leave him alone," Zayn calls back. Niall and Liam look at each other, clearly not understanding who Zayn was actually talking to.

Zayn smiles to himself and cuddles Harry closer as they walk; it's hard to ignore the butterflies in his own stomach but he's managing well enough.

The four of them manage to grab a compartment for themselves and Harry latches onto Liam, letting Niall and Zayn curl up next to each other on the opposite side. Zayn is relieved that now Liam's the one trying to calm Harry down - "It'll be just like this past year with me and Lou--" "You said yourself it wasn't the same!" "I did n-- Harry, stop crying!" - but without having to focus his attention on anyone, Zayn's own worries start to surface.

"Hey," Niall mumbles softly as he kisses Zayn's temple, "you alright?"

"Yeah, m'just scared."

"Pull the other one, Mr. Outstanding-On-All-My-N.E.W.T.s."

"Shut it," Zayn mumbles as his cheeks turn red.

"Wouldn't be surprised if you were back here in few years," Niall went on, "teaching Herbology after Sprout retires."

"What about you?" Zayn asks, tucking his head under Niall's chin.

"I'd be there too," Niall says matter-of-factly, "like I'd let you have all the fun."

Zayn rolls his eyes but inches closer to Niall, linking their fingers together as the train finally starts pulling away from the Hogwarts station. They remain silent for a while, listening to Liam and Harry arguing about how wretched Harry's last year will be.

"M'scared too," Niall whispers into Zayn's ear, nuzzling his nose into Zayn's hairline. "But I reckon I'll be fine as long as I've got you."

Zayn doesn't reply but there's no hiding the grin that spreads across his face as he squeezes Niall's hand. He closes his eyes and presses himself against Niall's chest, shifting just enough to brush his lips against Niall's neck. 

Niall shivers under Zayn's touch, and somehow that loosens the knot in Zayn's stomach. Even if it's only imaginary, the very idea of the both of them being back at Hogwarts - for whatever reason - fills Zayn with a sense of comfort. He knows better than to get his hopes up about any of it, but somehow the trip back to London doesn't seem so frightening; not when Niall's arms are wrapped so tightly around him.

 

**Author's Note:**

> [my tumblr](http://imlouisaf.tumblr.com)


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